Dry Cleaning and Laundry Industry Award

Coverage turns on the actual operation being performed, and boundary mistakes usually happen before payroll even starts.

• Work out first whether the employee is in the dry cleaning stream, the laundry stream or a combined operation.
• Check the named competing awards before assuming this award applies.
• If the employer has more than one possible award, match the employee to the classification that is most appropriate to the work and environment.

The award expects the engagement type, part-time pattern and classification to be documented clearly from the outset and kept up to date.

• Tell each employee in writing whether they are full-time, part-time or casual.
• Record each part-time regular pattern in writing at engagement.
• Record later agreed variations in writing.
• Advise employees in writing of their classification and any later classification change.

Short shifts and call-ins are a common risk area under this award because both part-time and casual work carry minimum engagement or overtime consequences.

• A part-time employee has a 3 consecutive hour minimum per start, including a separate overtime call-in.
• Hours worked beyond the agreed part-time pattern are overtime.
• A casual employee must be paid for at least 3 hours for each start on any day.
• A casual who works more than 38 ordinary hours in a week moves into overtime.

Dry cleaning businesses need a roster built around the dry cleaning clauses, not a generic weekly template borrowed from another operation.

• Dry cleaning ordinary hours are set separately from laundry hours.
• Late shopping nights have their own ordinary-hours treatment.
• If the regular late shopping night falls on a public holiday and another night is prescribed, the alternative late-night span applies.
• Package plant employees working 38 hours over 4 days must be told their work and rostered off days at least 7 days ahead.

Laundry operations have a distinct averaging and rostered day off structure, and it needs separate scheduling controls from the dry cleaning side of the business.

• Laundry ordinary hours average 38 hours per week within the clause 14 framework.
• By agreement, laundry hours can be worked as a 19 day 4 week cycle with 0.4 hours a day accruing toward a rostered day off.
• If a rostered day off falls on a public holiday, the next working day becomes the rostered day off unless another day is agreed.
• The laundry stream needs its own process for averaging and rostered day off management.

Rostered day off accrual and shiftwork both have award-specific rules that should be tracked separately in payroll and rostering.

• Paid leave days and paid public holidays during the roster cycle count for rostered day off accrual purposes.
• Unused accrued rostered day off entitlements must be paid on termination.
• Another day may be substituted for a rostered day off by mutual agreement.
• Laundry shiftworkers work under a separate average-38-hour shift model, with up to 5 shifts of up to 10 hours Monday to Sunday.

Allowance compliance under this award is practical and task-based, so payroll and recordkeeping need to reflect what employees actually do and use.

• Check whether foul laundry handling, first aid duty, overtime meals, protective clothing, tools or uniforms trigger an allowance or reimbursement.
• Some obligations are reimbursements rather than flat payroll settings, so records matter.
• Where the employer supplies the relevant clothing or tools, the reimbursement rule may operate differently.

PR799280, PR799376, PR799531

The current consolidated award incorporates these recent variation determinations. Use the consolidated wording when checking any affected clause, schedule, rate or allowance.

Affected: 18 - Minimum rates, 20 - Allowances, Schedule C - Summary of Hourly Rates of Pay, Schedule D - Summary of Monetary Allowances, Schedule E - Supported Wage System